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Original poster

night duty-how do I stop feeling so jet lagged all the time?

26 replies

brimfull · 06/03/2008 19:28

I only do 2 nights a week and have only been working since beginning of feb.
I finished work wed am ,slept really well wed night but today am exhausted.Last week I found I couldn't get to sleep on my nights off and ended up feeling knackered most of the time.

Is there a way to combat this? Not sure I want to feel knackered all the bloody time tbh.

Is it better to do nights separately?

OP posts:
DualCycloneCod · 06/03/2008 19:29

what do you do gg

DualCycloneCod · 06/03/2008 19:29

nailey dos nights

ask her

Original poster
brimfull · 06/03/2008 19:38

nursey

currently waiting to do my retraining as I haven't worked as a nurse since 1994

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shrinkingsagpuss · 06/03/2008 19:40

I used to work blocks of nights up to 4 at a time, the fourth was alwys a killer, and after a 16week block of nights I felt dreadful. Just 2 a week I thnk I could cope with.

What is your sleep pattern over monday and tuesday? different people find different things work.

I used to go to bed in the afternoon before my first night, then stariaght to bed after the shift fininshed (well, after I'd eaten). Smetimes I'd get up in the middle of the day, then go back tobed for a few hours late afternoon. After the second night, I'd go few a couple of hours in the morning, then make sure I was really tired to go to bed that night.

Separate nights might work - as might melatonin -which is the bodies hormone related to day and night cycles. Not sure when you are supposed to take it if you work nighs, but it helps re-dress the bodies natural cycle.

nigglewiggle · 06/03/2008 19:41

Try to limit you sleep on the morning after your last night to about 5 hours. Then you feel a bit groggy the rest of the day, but can sleep well that night.

Try to be careful what you eat. Small meals are better than heavy dinners.

Hope this helps.

jellyhead · 06/03/2008 19:42

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

NaughtyNigel · 06/03/2008 19:43

sorry - no idea.
i like nights and can ajust really well.
i don't sleep at all the first day - then am out like a light during the day while i'm on duty.
4th night i sleep till lunch - then go to bed at proper time.
all i do is try to limit the caffine after 4am.

shrinkingsagpuss · 06/03/2008 19:44

How busy are your shifts? I found the busy shifts easier to deal with, than my awful quiet ones. I'm an LD nurse, and used to hope someone would be up all night, or would have a decent seizure so I had something to do once the drugs were all done!!

Original poster
brimfull · 06/03/2008 19:44

I try and have a lie down in the afternoon before the monday night but I can't sleep.
Tueasday am I take ds to school ,sleep from 9:30 till 1:30-2ish,same on wed morning,then sleep well Wednesday night.Wake up Thursday feeling like I've just come over from LA.Feel shite for a few days ,then back to the nights.

Is it worth it?

OP posts:
shrinkingsagpuss · 06/03/2008 19:45

another thought - black out blinds so your bedroom is lovely and dark, and not too hot either, a nice cool room so you can really snuggle into your duvet.....hmmmmm lovely. no snoring DP either......

nigglewiggle · 06/03/2008 19:48

Think you need a longer sleep after first night if you can manage it. I used to sleep 8 hours after each night then stop at 5 hours after the last one. Didn't sleep before first night, just battled through!

FAQ · 06/03/2008 19:49

beginning of Feb it still quite recent - I found it took a while to adjust to the sleeping things - and also I had to try different sleeping patterns to find that one that suited me.

If I had 2 shifts together (sometimes I'd end up with one on, one off, one on, one off urghh)
I never, ever, slept during the day of my first night on, then I'd sleep in the morning until not long after lunch. Would then get up and carry on my day as per normal until I went to work. The following day I'd sleep until lunchtime and then get up. Then would go to bed "normal" time on that night.

It's definitely trial and error - and it does take a while to get used to it too.

FAQ · 06/03/2008 19:51

oh and when I was pg with DS3 and DS2 conveniently decided he didn't need his afternoon nap I'd do (for example)

Up at 8am Monday morning, work Monday night, then if I was working Tuesday night I'd sleep for 3/4hrs on Tuesday morning, if I wasn't working then I'd stay up until "normal" bedtime (usually around 11pm!) on the Tuesday night - 36hrs (or more!) up on the trot - not sure how I did it to be honest LOL.

Original poster
brimfull · 06/03/2008 19:54

I could probably sleep until 2:30 after the first night,provided I don't get woken up by the doorbell or phone.Need to remember to unplug the phone.

OP posts:
FAQ · 06/03/2008 19:55

ggirl - ear plugs

Original poster
brimfull · 06/03/2008 19:55

faq-I couldn't possibly go that long without collapsing

OP posts:
Original poster
brimfull · 06/03/2008 19:56

if I wore earplugs I'd sleep too long and I have to pick ds up from school at 3:15

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FAQ · 06/03/2008 19:58

I don't think I could now (I'd been working a minimum of 3 nights a week for 1 1/2yrs by that time - often 4 nights, and once when we were short staffed at work (long before I was pg) I worked Thursday, Friday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Monday (and then had 2 nights off LOL)........that was a killer though

Original poster
brimfull · 06/03/2008 20:00

there's an HCA where I work who does 3 nights at another hospital ,3 nights at ours and a bak night as well.
Says she doesn't like her dh much.

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shrinkingsagpuss · 06/03/2008 20:06

our local hospice does 7 nights on, 7 nights off - put me off ever applying for a job there. By ight 4 I'd be toast.

FAQ · 06/03/2008 20:07

oooo I'd have loved 7 on 7 off, I always felt that on my odd days off I was missing being able to "do" stuff

Unfitmother · 06/03/2008 20:55

I remember 7 on 7 off, I loved the 7 off
I did 2 nights a week when dd was small. I split them and just slept until lunchtime after them both. Are you able to try that?

Original poster
brimfull · 06/03/2008 22:19

Yes possibly could split them,that may work better for me.
Remember 7 on 7 off when I was a student.

OP posts:
havalina · 06/03/2008 23:08

Ooh I used to love nights, always found myself that split nights were so much worse, twice the amount of faffing on getting into and out of a sleep pattern.

Never used to sleep on the first day before nights, then probably slept from around 9am-4pm subsequent days, on the day I finished used to sleep till around 12 as had dd all day, then back into going to bed at around 11/12pm.

I found nights really easy as I am generally a night person, and they were in no way as gruelling as 13 hour day shifts (HCA). Do you get a decent break at night? We usually had 2-3 hours and most people would sleep for the whole time, I usually didn't as I find it hard to get to sleep at the best of times. Some nurses would go home and look after dc's all day then come back I think I would expire if I had to do that.

Do you have busy night shifts?

Original poster
brimfull · 07/03/2008 13:39

2-3hrs break we have 45minutes!Not busy all night but beginning and end are quite busy . I also thought I'd find them easy as I too am a night person,but am finding it difficult to adjust to them.Early days though .
I can't really sleep past 2:30 as I need to leave the house at 3pm to pick ds up from school.
Am also finding that I can't get to sleep at on my nights off.

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